Editor’s Update 3:15 PM Friday Feb. 9th. Here’s an update just in from the City of Everett: Everett’s City engineer observed the landslide site at the 1700 block of Grand Avenue following a report of slide activity Thursday afternoon. There is an approximately 75-foot-long slide zone at the top of the bluff that has slumped up to 6 feet near the top, with flowing materials farther down the bank, where it has accumulated and fouled the Burlington Northern Santa Fe track closest to the bank at the bottom. Staff did not find evidence of a larger, deeper slide.
Public Works staff has cordoned off an area at the park and has requested its on-call geotechnical consultant evaluate the situation as soon as possible. Public Works staff is also in contact with Parks staff and Burlington Northern Santa Fe about the slide.
The activity at Grand Avenue is not unexpected for steep weathering banks, such as are common throughout the Everett peninsula. Shallow landslides are generally triggered after periods of extended heavy rainfall. The hillside is saturated and may continue to move; the exact nature and extent of future movement is not known.
This slide event does not appear to be related to construction on the Grand Avenue Park Bridge, which is 1 to 1.5 blocks north of the slide. It is not expected that slide activity will impact the Grand Avenue Park Bridge project progress. The project design includes a slope protection system from the park to the railroad that will be constructed soon.
Workers at West Marine saw big chunks of the hillside giving way shortly after noon.
A closer look at the hillside.
Some mud came down on the far east set of tracks
Cars that carry LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) that had been under the slide area were moved north.
A look at the slide from Grand Avenue Park
This is in about the 1700 block of West Marine View Drive. “The chunks just kept getting larger and the area moving got wider,” said Arnold. He contacted Snohomish County 911 and Everett’s Office of Emergency Management was notified.
Brent Stainer, Director of Emergency management tells MyEverettNews.com the slide area is about 100 feet wide. “Some mud did get onto the far inside rail,” said Stainer. “We’ve got public works crews called out to monitor the slide.”
Trains have been stopped along the West Marine Drive route and a train that had cars that carry LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) which had been parked below the slide area was moved north toward the Delta Yard area. Train service through the east side of Everett is not affected.
Crews with Everett Parks have blocked off a portion of Grand Avenue Park above the slide. At this point the city plans to monitor the situation.
No word if construction of a pedestrian bridge and sewer pipe relocation project at the north end of Grand Avenue Park have anything to do with the slide.
Here are a few MyEverettNews.com photos taken this afternoon. Click photo to enlarge.
February 8, 2018
Everett, Everett Fire